WHAT.
Marinette - she couldn't - she was the one who could NEVER be akumatized.
Who, she realized now, couldn't AFFORD to be akumatized.
*beep beep beep beepbeepbeep*
Quickly she ducked behind the pod, praying that Hawkmoth was too distracted to notice the light of her detransformation.
She tried to pull Fu behind with her. Unfortunately she'd misjudged just how big - and how concealing - the pod was.
Panther hissed as the illusion fell, revealing the old man standing beside the pod looking like he'd just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"So this is who disturbed Emilie's rest?" Hawkmoth said. His smile sent shivers down Alya's spine. "The Guardian, I presume? Tell me - am I wrong about the Wish being able to cure her? About it being the only guaranteed way to do so?"
Fu stared back at him sadly. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to.
"Very well then. The Guardian of the Miraculous seems like a worthy additional prize. All those Miraculous, free for the taking."
"I will never allow you to get your hands on them, Hawkmoth!" Fu shouted, disgust permeating his last word.
"It's not like you'll have a choice in the matter," Hawkmoth said, snapping his fingers, calling Panther to his side.
"Wayzz, Shell-URK"
"Master!" Wayzz floated out, looking at Fu concernedly.
Panther pounced.
Chat Noir lunged, knocking her to the side with his staff. Alya didn't miss the tears in his eyes. "Please milady… please… I don't want to fight you! I NEVER want to fight you!"
She simply hissed, her sharp claws scraping the ground as she went in for a bite.
Chat Noir snatched up Fu, readying to jump off with him… and hesitated.
He looked quickly to his side, to where Alya still crouched, hidden behind the pod.
She mouthed, "Go".
In ideal circumstances Chat Noir could easily carry both her and Fu. The weight wasn't so much a problem as the bulkiness of having two people hanging off of him.
These were not ideal circumstances.
Having time to snatch up Fu AND Alya, while simultaneously evading Panther and Hawkmoth?
No way.
Chat hesitated.
She waved him off, mouthing for him to "go" more urgently.
Panther jumped.
With one last look back, Chat Noir extended his staff, catapulting himself towards the chamber ceiling. "CATACLYSM!"
The roof dissolved at his touch.
Sunlight poured onto Alya and into the chamber as Chat Noir and Fu retreated.
"AFTER THEM!" Hawkmoth roared.
Panther darted past the pod.
She turned, spotting Alya, no longer concealed from that angle.
Panther's eyes narrowed, her mouth opening, preparing to let out a hiss or a yowl or SOMETHING to let Hawkmoth know that Alya was there, she was sure.
And then the cat blinked, her expression smoothing over.
She turned away from Alya, ignoring her existence that she'd seemed so interested in a second ago.
And leaped out of the massive sinkhole, following Chat Noir and Fu, Hawkmoth not far behind.
"That was a close call, kit!"
Alya just shook her head. "That was more than close, Trixx. Do- do you think some of Marinette's still within Panther? Do you think that's why she ignored me?"
Trixx shrugged. "Maybe? I wouldn't count on it though. An akuma is still an akuma."
But no other akuma's been MARINETTE, Alya wanted to argue.
She shook herself. It didn't matter right now. She couldn't even keep up with Panther, with Marinette, much less be able to keep her occupied long enough to try to… appeal to her sanity maybe?
Reaching into her pocket she produced a small bag of apple slices, which Trixx eagerly snatched up.
Looking at the ruined chamber, Alya sighed. "Better get moving. I don't want to be here when Hawkmoth gets back."
Walking through the mansion felt surreal.
Granted, just its massive size and opulence would've done that.
She'd been there a few times before - when The Bubbler threw Adrien a birthday party, for instance (they really needed to throw Adrien a proper party at some point, one where everyone could genuinely relax and have fun) - but never for very long.
She never imagined that all those times, she'd been walking around in Hawkmoth's home.
Charging up a flight of stairs, she groaned. "Seriously, how many rooms does this place HAVE?! I mean I know it's big, but not THAT big! Then again, there could be more of it underground…" she muttered to herself.
"Alya, come quick!"
Head shooting up, she looked over at her kwami. "Did you find…?"
Trixx nodded, flying through a nearby corridor, coming to a stop near a nondescript door halfway down it. "I already unlocked it."
Taking a deep breath, Alya opened the door.
Inside the storage room, Nathalie lay unconscious on the floor, pillows arranged underneath and around her to make it slightly more comfortable.
At least Gabriel had THAT much decency.
But how did he knock her out? If he did so too forcefully...
"She's fine," Trixx told her, sensing her hesitance. "I checked. Her breathing's normal. I suspect he just made an akuma to knock her unconscious - I'd expect some sign of drugs or injury otherwise. But I don't think you'll be able to wake her up."
Considering what they suspected about Nathalie's role in the events on Heroes Day, she wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Wait… what was that…?
Something glinted in the corner of the room. Something green.
Picking her way carefully around the pillows (not an easy task, the room wasn't very big), she made her way to the small, reflective object.
"Trixx? Is this what I think it is?"
